When people ask "Bet your neighbours [i]love[i] you!" Yes I play drums and they're loud but I respect them and their young children by putting pads on my drums after 7pm and not playing at all past 9. Asking if I annoy them isn't really funny in the first place and makes drums sound like useless noise. That's my only real peeve about drums.

I drive with nothing in my car, as my son calls them missiles. If you role your car over, these 4 and pound missiles become more dangerous, at times than the wreck. Everything goes in the trunk or boot.

Going to be getting myself a cargo net at some point, plus there are already securing points that I use if I have anything tricky in the boot. I think the only thing that I keep next to the driving position is a torch with a window hammer on it...

Tambourines. It's a toy, and rarely enhances the song, especially the way you're playing it, tam-boy! At least pull it away from the mic a bit.

...

I have to come to the defence of the tambourine here.

My kit has a tambourine mounted on the hi hat stand, and it's awesome.

You can't play Day Tripper without the tambourine...that would be just wrong.

When we first started playing it I asked our then singer if he wanted to do the tambourine part, and he just looked at me with a rabbit in the headlights look. Maybe the prob is you're used to seeing the tambourine abused by people who can't be trusted with even the simplest of instruments?

I also use my tambourine for:
the outro of Back On The Chain Gang
the chorus of Echo Beach

I'll give you that, there is only one person who can usually be trusted with such things as tams and cowbells, and that's the drummer, with occasional exceptions. I work with this one horn section frequently who are wonderful musicians, career guys from the USAF band and play like hell, but if you forget to lift the cowbells out of their cases before the set starts it's gonna get ugly at the first song they have to lay out. I don't know what comes over them.

My kit has a tambourine mounted on the hi hat stand, and it's awesome.

You can't play Day Tripper without the tambourine...that would be just wrong.

When we first started playing it I asked our then singer if he wanted to do the tambourine part, and he just looked at me with a rabbit in the headlights look. Maybe the prob is you're used to seeing the tambourine abused by people who can't be trusted with even the simplest of instruments?

I also use my tambourine for:
the outro of Back On The Chain Gang
the chorus of Echo Beach

And don't even think about being rude about wind chimes! :)

And if you ever have to play "Walk Like an Egyptian" you'll want it.

I agree on the value of the tambourine. You can fake it on the hi-hat but nothing does 16ths like a tambourine!

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Returned after 30 years. Now playing Gospel/Worship and Concert Band stuff - Big Band next?

They're best after midnight, when you let it all hang down. It's one thing when tambourine is mixed in a track, and another when played on a live stage, too loud, most of the time, in part because those frequencies cut like no other and in part because they're over played. And that's when they're in time, which isn't always the case, and certainly isn't easy to do for the novice, or pro either, for that matter. So yeah, they can be peevish, just about always.

I use one of these, mostly for accents. Only in some specific sections (like 3 measures in total) of one song I play 16ths with it. It's nice to have and prevents the hi-hat rod from getting stuck in clothes when you walk by, or getting poked with it.

My kit has a tambourine mounted on the hi hat stand, and it's awesome.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fac

I use one of these, mostly for accents. Only in some specific sections (like 3 measures in total) of one song I play 16ths with it. It's nice to have and prevents the hi-hat rod from getting stuck in clothes when you walk by, or getting poked with it.

Hell yeah! I use the same thing. I ignored tambourines for years, figuring them too lightweight for the 'heavy' rock I played.

But one song changed my mind: 'Nub' by The Jesus Lizard. Mac McNeilly uses one on his hi-hat for that song and it's hypnotic. (Alfredo Hernandez also used it to really great effect on the QOTSA debut album.)

Now I never play without it - I might even use it too much. But no one's ever complained, and it sounds great on recordings.

Plus, since I play in smaller bands, it's helpful to add some percussion without having to hire a percussionist. Best $15 I ever spent!

-"new" products being released every year - seriously drums are a bit of wood, a bit of metal and a bit of plastic (for the most part), personally I don't think there is much point in buying brand new kits these days because the places to try them hardly exist anymore. You end up buying without hearing which is just silly.
- Drum replacement therapy - simply learn to play/record/mix drums properly and then you won't need to use technology to cheat, just enhance.

-The myriad of cymbal options - The only "innovation" that has meant anything to me is the cymbals with holes in to cut sustain. The rest is just a baffling array of nonsense. Still nothing wrong with my set of 20 yr old Avedis' and 3 yr old Paiste Signatures.

- Marketing and DW and prices - DW are absolutely no better or worse than any other kit and my personal opinion is that they don't suit rock drumming at all. However, because all the major artists (as in those playing stadia and tv shows) all play DW, this apparently means they can charge the earth for them. As I said earlier, drums are bits of wood, plastic and metal, marketing means that these drums have some kind of mystical aura about them, they don't they're just drums. I had a collectors maple and a collectors birch with VLT, both were average compared to high end kits by other manufacturers. If DW charge the same as other companies, it wouldn't be a peeve.

- Durability of heads - I used to use G2s but now, for some reason, they pit after 1 session. This never used to happen and if anything I hit softer so for me (despite their protestations when i asked them) I have to change. As a result I've spent far too much on finding the right head. Again, you can't try them out becuse it's used as soon as you put it on. I now use Evans Onyx (after 100's of quids spent)

- Bass drum pedals - Seriously, what idiot pays more than £400 for a double pedal? Yes I'm talking axis and the like. I recently bought a new pedal, in the only shop close to me they actually had a load to try! amazing. So I tried pearl direct drive, axis and gibraltar direct drive but settled for a simple, new Eliminator. With Axis, is drumming now nothing more than 1 upmanship? If I see anyone with an axis pedal I think "Daddy's got a trust fund". I can afford one, it's just a massive waste of money

-"new" products being released every year - seriously drums are a bit of wood, a bit of metal and a bit of plastic (for the most part), personally I don't think there is much point in buying brand new kits these days because the places to try them hardly exist anymore. You end up buying without hearing which is just silly.
- Drum replacement therapy - simply learn to play/record/mix drums properly and then you won't need to use technology to cheat, just enhance.

-The myriad of cymbal options - The only "innovation" that has meant anything to me is the cymbals with holes in to cut sustain. The rest is just a baffling array of nonsense. Still nothing wrong with my set of 20 yr old Avedis' and 3 yr old Paiste Signatures.

- Marketing and DW and prices - DW are absolutely no better or worse than any other kit and my personal opinion is that they don't suit rock drumming at all. However, because all the major artists (as in those playing stadia and tv shows) all play DW, this apparently means they can charge the earth for them. As I said earlier, drums are bits of wood, plastic and metal, marketing means that these drums have some kind of mystical aura about them, they don't they're just drums. I had a collectors maple and a collectors birch with VLT, both were average compared to high end kits by other manufacturers. If DW charge the same as other companies, it wouldn't be a peeve.

- Durability of heads - I used to use G2s but now, for some reason, they pit after 1 session. This never used to happen and if anything I hit softer so for me (despite their protestations when i asked them) I have to change. As a result I've spent far too much on finding the right head. Again, you can't try them out becuse it's used as soon as you put it on. I now use Evans Onyx (after 100's of quids spent)

- Bass drum pedals - Seriously, what idiot pays more than £400 for a double pedal? Yes I'm talking axis and the like. I recently bought a new pedal, in the only shop close to me they actually had a load to try! amazing. So I tried pearl direct drive, axis and gibraltar direct drive but settled for a simple, new Eliminator. With Axis, is drumming now nothing more than 1 upmanship? If I see anyone with an axis pedal I think "Daddy's got a trust fund". I can afford one, it's just a massive waste of money

I have been noticing lately, and maybe it's just me, but it irks me to hear recordings or see shows where the person singing harmony is on a mic louder that the lead vocals. Just sounds terrible to me.

- Bass drum pedals - Seriously, what idiot pays more than £400 for a double pedal? Yes I'm talking axis and the like. I recently bought a new pedal, in the only shop close to me they actually had a load to try! amazing. So I tried pearl direct drive, axis and gibraltar direct drive but settled for a simple, new Eliminator. With Axis, is drumming now nothing more than 1 upmanship? If I see anyone with an axis pedal I think "Daddy's got a trust fund". I can afford one, it's just a massive waste of money.

I agree! With the "space age" technology and such? "Direct drive engineering?" I get they they can be smooth to use, but still.. and why did all the major companies jump all over this bandwagon? Trick brand pedals are the worst. They do make a good snare strainer, but I think their pedals are so overpriced. Do we really need the most high tech pedals? That many adjustments and knobs, screws, cams? I know speed freak double bass guys use them, but it makes me cringe when the kids looking up to them want to spend that much on pedal. It's like buying a pair or Air Jordan sneakers and expecting to dunk like Michael. I bet he could still dunk now in a pair of Converse Chucks! Just like Derek Roddy or Marco or Thomas Lang could do what they do on a $100 pedal. It should be about practice and skill, not an overpriced pedal. Didn't Bonham use a Speed King? Same with Carmine Appice? It's all practice and skill to get that fast and that good. All you need is a beater height adjustment and spring tension knob!
*rant over* lol..

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"You can never have too many snare drums! At least they're not crack!" - Matt Chamberlain

I have been noticing lately, and maybe it's just me, but it irks me to hear recordings or see shows where the person singing harmony is on a mic louder that the lead vocals. Just sounds terrible to me.

I'll also add hating it when their mic is too low as well. I've seen shows where the harmony or backup mic is so low the girl or guy might as well not be singing at all. It has to be just right or the soundman isn't doing his job.

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"You can never have too many snare drums! At least they're not crack!" - Matt Chamberlain

It should be about practice and skill, not an overpriced pedal. Didn't Bonham use a Speed King? Same with Carmine Appice? It's all practice and skill to get that fast and that good. All you need is a beater height adjustment and spring tension knob!
*rant over* lol..

Amen brother.

I believe that the tama speed cobra will suffice for speed metal drummers, waaaay cheaper than axis or trick.

Drummer related:
At a gig, a drummer takes a big "wind up" to hit a cymbal, and I'm expecting to hear a glorious shimmering crash that sounds like angels high-giving, but said drummer merely taps it and all I get is a flaccid "psht."

It really bothers me when a band plays a tune that is supposed to be played with a shuffle beat and the drummer can't play a shuffle. He just plays that sad rock thing on the 1 and 3, like an old lady clapping along to a Jazz tune.

Also (storytime!) I was recently in Tijuana for a friend's bachelor party, great time. I was in a bar with a big dance floor and tvs playing music videos. I saw a video with this young, hip band playing along. The drummer was playing matched with his snare tilted away from him. My poor friend had to listen to my beer/mexcal and chicken wing fuled rant about it for about 30 minutes.

For me, its Warm Beer, especially beer that really isn't cold enough being served at a restaurant that I'm paying inflated prices for.

On the music side, I just love being constantly annoyed by some sales kid at Guitar Center when I just want to look around a while. I also don't like being stared at while browsing the store as if I'm a thief. One time I said to a sales kid...."If I buy something now and leave it at the desk in front, can I just continue to browse a while without being pestered"?

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The road to success and the road to failure are almost exactly the same.

People who ask to sit in... I play in a cover "act". By this, I mean outfits, stage names, backing tracks, etc. It's not a rigid "same thing every night" show, but we're also not a bunch of dudes in jeans and T-shirts just calling out tunes on the spot. Now why on Earth would you think that you have some right to get up on stage and "just play a couple songs" in this (or really, any) situation? Asking to sit in, in general, is in very poor taste to me, unless it's a "jam night" type thing. If you're invited, that's one thing. Otherwise, why is it my responsibility to use my band's time to let you show your friends how cool you think you are, only to result in the inevitable trainwreck? Honestly, in what other profession does this happen? I have NEVER been ANYWHERE where I thought it was appropriate for me to ask someone else if I could "just sit in" at their job.

People who wait for you to leave your kit, and then just get up and start playing... Just because you can play drums (usually barely, and sometimes not at all), and there is a drum set here, does not give you some kind of free pass to hop on. Again, what other profession?

As far as non-drum related...

People who don't use their turn signal when changing lanes

People who drive slower than the flow of traffic. Especially in the left lanes. People seem to forget that the right lanes are meant for slower traffic, and the left lane is meant for faster traffic (that "fast lane" we all keep hearing about).

People who do really distracting stuff while they're driving... phone, texting, make-up, hair, whatever (these behaviors often lead to the above). Just drive your car!

Don't get me wrong..I have one and find a lot of use for it. I've got Kindle on it so I always have something to read with me, same with a lot of music so always something to listen to, a few chess apps to play with, a metronome to that can come in quite handy sometimes, a guitar tuner, google maps is great and the flashlight has proved itself a lifesaver more than once.

But the way people are continuously glued to their phones these days gets me thoroughly annoyed. I can walk into the office and see 3 or 4 colleagues present there...all hunched over their tiny screens, completely immersed into fb, twitter, wassap, tinder, instagram or whatever other "social" media rules. I can have a conversation with someone but if that thing makes even the slightest buzz...hold up..need to check this asap, might be important...

You go to a bar and see a group of people walking in. Half of them will already have their smartphone in their hand but you can be sure that by the time they're seated, each and every one of them is looking down at the screen, happily swiping and typing away. (why go out for a drink then in the first place??) Take a toilet break and you need to navigate and avoid bumping into folks that are, again...looking down at ya know what and more or less oblivious of their surroundings

Do I have to even mention how much time is lost during rehearsals because 3 of the 5 people NEED to check their phones every five minutes and respond to everything ASAP?